Philippa Perry

A shoot with Philippa Perry is not only fun, but it’s also a good opportunity to try to gage how much you are messing your own kids up.  The psychotherapist’s latest book named “The book you wish your parents had read (and your children will be glad that you did)” - is not aimed at telling us what to do, but you know there will be some serious words of wisdom in there.  So - I took the opportunity to ask a few questions at least - like any parent I am on a daily basis confronted with new issues, and every issue comes with the doubting question “am I messing my kids up for life?”  I don’t know what I hoped for in reply.  Maybe I was  hoping for an answer, a definite solution to all child rearing issues - a comforting word to say I’m doing ok - standing applause with a definite reply to assure me that my kids will be perfectly balanced when they grow up with no lasting issues - but that is of course not Philippa’s job, especially not on the back of some 30 minute photoshoot.  However - the advice to take time and listen seemed to be prominent in what she was saying - and maybe one of the things that is easy to forget in the hectic lives we are living.  

Shot for Observer Magazine

David McKee

Having kids opens your eyes to things that you may not necessarily know.  Maybe some can remember their literary influences from early on, but I am one of those who can’t recall much of what I read when I was a kid.  So, when I was introduced to Elmer the Patchwork Elephant, reading it for my kids, I loved the visuals but also the simplicity of the stories.  Elmer is darn right sweet!  David McKee is the creator of Elmer.  I got to photograph him in his flat in London, a place he stays when he comes over from France for work or pleasure.  Such a lovely and modest man.  It seemed to me that the friendliness of Elmer is just a mirror of David himself.  

Shot for Observer Magazine

Matthew MacFadyen

I photographed Matthew McFadyen a long time ago, together with Michael Gambon.  One of my earliest commissions.  They were playing in the stage adaptation of Henry IV.  This time, I meet Matthew MacFadyen again.  Now a world renowned star for his role in Succession.  (Missing out very noticeable performances in series such as Spooks and Any Human Heart - to mention a few).  This time MacFadyen is starring in the small TV drama series “Quiz”.  Remember the Major who managed to trick “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” but was caught?  Well, MacFadyen plays the Major.  

A tall gentleman - is the best way to describe MacFadyen presence.  Gently spoken and suave.  Wearing a suit, but it doesn’t feel like he’s put one on especially.  On the contrary.  I can easily imagine MacFadyen sporting a suit, open top buttoned shirt and leather shoes on a daily basis.  

Shot for Observer New Review

Joanna Hogg and Honor Swinton Byrne

Joanna Hogg worked with Tilda Swinton in one of Tilda’s first films,  and Joanna’s Graduation piece.  They had been friends as kids, but casting Tilda in this early film had reignited their friendship and they have been friends ever since.  Both developed individual, successful careers and Joanna became the godmother of Tilda’s daughter Honor Swinton Byrne.  Now, over 30 years later, Joanna has made a film based on romantic relationship she had some years ago.  Struggling to find someone to play herself, she finally came up with the idea of casting Honor.  To Joanna this working relationship is as personal as the story.  

I met up with Joanna and Honor  at The House of St Barnabas in London.  Often when you photograph an actor and a director together, you notice a closeness from having worked together for a long time, but you also notice a professional boundry that is not crossed.  In the end, director/actor is a working relationship. Their working relationship before stepping in front of my camera has often been one of separation - one in front of camera and one behind.  When you then put the actor and director together, it is as if they need to redefine the boundary between themselves.  Joanna, as is often the case with directors, also dislikes being in front of the lens.  

But Joanna and Honor are not representative of a traditional working relationship.  Their history and closeness was evident as soon as they entered the room.  After Joanna had used months to lead Honor through her first film, it seemed that Honor, (being more comfortable in front of the camera) was leading Joanna into a space of comfort. The intimacy and the handhold were natural and I was fortunate to be there to capture their friendship.  

Shot for Observer New Review

Romesh and Leesa Ranganathan

It’s not everyday you get an invite to photograph someone in their bed with their wife.  Especially not a celebrity, at least not in my line of photography.  Ok - so I’ve worked with Romesh Ranganathan 3 times before, but working with Romesh and his wife Leesa in bed, sounded like it could potentially be a recipe for crossing personal boundaries. PJ’s were in place - so everything respectable, but still an insight into the domestics.  I didn’t hang out in the bedroom for a week to catch the natural ambience of the Ranganathan marital bedroom, but we staged it to illustrate Ranganathan’s article about what it is to be his wife, the receiving end of many of Romesh’s comedy standup shows. 

Both were fun to work with, a true testament to how genuine Romesh is in his comedy and performances.  

We parted ways with an elbow five, and a promise that the next job would be traveling to Wuhan, China.  

Shot for The Guardian Weekend Magazine

Renault - Bill and Dax Bailey

My previous shoots with Bill Bailey have all been to promote a project he is working on, alone and in his office.  This shoot however was to promote Renault.  Bill Bailey and his son Dax, on their way to paddle board, driving a Renault and the Billboard on top.  (Yes - ‘Billboard’ is actually the name of the paddle board that Bill is promoting.)  It’s a sport that I hear more and more people are swearing by.  Personally, I prefer to be in the water.

Shot for Bridge Studios / Renault

Luke Evans

I can’t put my finger on it but there is definitely something a little ‘Shaken but not stirred’ about Luke Evans. It’s like he should have a three digit number instead of a name.  Or maybe he should just make a point of introducing himself by saying surname followed by his whole name….

Shot for Observer Food Monthly

Jamie Carragher

You don’t find a Liverpool FC fan who doesn’t know who Jamie Carragher is.  Having played defender for the club for 17 years he is a true ‘One Club Man’.  Since his retirement as a player he has become the voice of football as a commentator on SKY, as well as the podcast “The Greatest Game”.  This shoot with Jamie was done for his book “The Greatest Game” - inspired by his podcast.  In the book he talks about his all time favourite games.  What better to hear about the greatest games from someone who’s seen them on pitch for 17 years and then 7 years from the commentator’s box?  I am sure there are some Everton or Manchester United fans out there who could name some better people to voice their opinions, but I personally think Jamie is pretty qualified.

The shoot took place in Liverpool.  It wasn’t a shoot where we could hang around and chat for ages.  Jamie had things to do, people to see.  No time for a fast kick about, one touch or a kicky-up challenge.  But I will say that Jamie was a pretty easy going chilled out guy.  

Shot for Penguin Random House

Ant Middleton

I’m not much for reality TV shows, but the program “SAS: Who dares wins” sucked me in.  Maybe it’s because it allows me to reminisce about my own time in the army, or maybe it’s because there is something nice about sitting on a sofa at home with a cold beer, watching others push themselves physically until they drop.  (Not the spirit of a new year resolution - I know…)

I met up with Ant Middleton, the main officer in the program, that puts everyone through their paces and figures out their mental triggers.   Whilst everyone else is gaining a little pudge during lockdown, Ant looks like he’s fitter than ever!  His every muscle fitting snuggly into each nook and cranny of his T-shirt. I could off course talk to him about my time in the army, how I climbed the ranks, but I often find it best to not talk too much about those days.  Especially to a man who’s been in the Parachute Squadron and Royal Marines.  I acknowledge them, but soon move on to talk about other more trivial things, worried that  he’ll have me down on the floor doing pushups just to prove myself.  Yep - set me a challenge and I’ll do everything I can to prove it.  And, although my mind is convinced that I am not a day older than what I was over twenty years ago, I know my body disagrees. Even though my mind might try to practice Ant’s slogan, the title of the book “Zero Negativity” - I know that 50 pushups is not where I am after months in lockdown and having lived a considerably less physically demanding life than my time in the army.  

After a nice shoot, getting the images we were after to be on the cover of Ant’s newest book, I carry my equipment out of his house with my assistant, into the car.  But this time I make a point of carrying the bags just a little higher than normal, straining my biceps a little more, chest out, straight back, just to feel like I have accomplished at least some weight training that day.  

Shot for HarperCollins

Boris Becker

Boris Becker is a name that is well known in the tennis circuit and to anyone of my generation.  He’s one of those sport stars that you don’t have to be into their sport to know about them.   He won his first out of 6 major singles titles at the age of 17.  He had a few nicknames referring to his fast and well placed serves: “Boom-Boom”, “Der Bomber” or (my favourite) “Baron Von Slam”.

After his career as a tennis player he did some coaching and later became a professional poker player.  

I met this sizeable man in the small Champaign room at a the Connaught hotel in London.  Not the best space to squeeze two 6ft5ish men in with equipment, assistant, two journalists and Boris’ lawyer - but we made it work.  Boris had just had his knee operated on as well, so his hands were clutching the handles of his crutches, instead of the handle of his tennis racket as I remembered him.  As it was getting dark early I managed to get him outside for 10 minutes before the interview took place.  It was then time for the interview, before I got to do the second part of the shoot in the same room.  The interview was in German, a language I have not mastered, but I was able to pick up on the negotiations and mood of the interview.  It’s one of those times that I am happy to be the photographer.  My job is to keep things amicable, let Boris’ mind drift away from any challenges that can come with an interview - and doing that I found Boris to be a nice guy to deal with.  We had a laugh and he took directions well.  

Shot for Stern

Gary Lineker and Danny Baker

It was only a few minutes before Gary Lineker and Danny Baker were to go live with their podcast, recorded in Gary’s kitchen.  And there I was, sitting at the table seriously considering that Gary could have been a successful chef, as I scoff in some more of his home made Moroccan inspired vegetarian stew.  I finished my dish, Gary and Danny were given the thumbs up, the room fell silent and the two, facing each other on the opposite sides of a kitchen island, started talking about the week’s football news and reeling out random football facts.  

For 30 minutes we were able to get the front row seats to this performance, before we headed off down into Lineker’s basement to start the photoshoot, shooting the cover for Gary and Danny’s book ‘Behind Closed Doors: Life, Laughs and Football’.  

We’d pushed Gary’s ping-pong table aside to make space and moved the sofa facing the projection cinema screen. 

Gary is the calmer of the two, but together they work perfectly.  Casual banter and laughs before props like golden boots and footballs from historical matches were brought in to the shot.  Gary and Danny are very different, but they work perfectly together.  

Shot for Random House

Old Hall

In rural Suffolk there is an old monastery on 70 acres of land.  In this monastery live around 70 people commune.  Families and singles live in units to suit their own needs with shared communal rooms and facilities.  They all have to work on the land for a certain amount of hours a week.  The cooking rotates and they eat food from their own land.  This commune has been around since 1974 and the people who live there go to schools near by, or work in jobs outside the Old Hall.  

As we all found ourselves in isolation, this community had isolated themselves as a community.  Few people allowed in, and contact with the people outside was done with caution.  

As I drove onto the land of Old Hall I see kids running through the fields and playing with the small patches of snow left over from a small snowfall the night before.  Adults were gathering outside the kitchen, preparing for lunch.  Not much evidence of farming work at that time of year, but a hanger filled with wood showed that there was still work to be done to keep warm.  I expected only around 10-15 people to take part in the portrait, but when it was all set up and I had given the “all ready” sign, around 25 people appeared from doors, around corners or from over the distant fields.  One boy was determined to hide his face and I pulled out all the stops to make him look.

When the shoot was finished I was given a small box with great tasting carrots and onions, cake and a coffee.  I packed up the car and drove off in the direction of the Suffolk sunset….

Shot for The Observer Magazine

Coco Khan

January is here and many of us are thinking of self improvement and how we can take better care of ourselves.  Coco Khan wrote an article touching on a few things that she’s tried out.  Ice bath has fast become a trend.  Not only is it a thing the sports stars use to reduce injuries, but it’s now proven to be good for us mere mortals too.  It’s even supposed to be good to fight Dementia.  I have the for the last two years got into cold water swimming too, and it really does make a difference.  I don’t get colds very often anymore, and I feel sharper and happier.  It is one of the things I miss the most when I find myself in lockdown.  A cold shower or cold bath is all very well, but it’s not the same as submerging your whole body in 4 degrees water and going for a swim.  

So - I went out and bought 20 bags of ice to illustrate Coco Khan having an ice bath.  

Coco also talked about Sage smoking, so I had to get a few bags of sage in too.  4 firearms, (smoke in all rooms in the building as it had seeped through the cracks in the floorboards,) and a stressed out studio assistant later, we finally got the shot.  

Lastly, it was the UV light mask that should help with skin and ageing…. 

Mix them all together and no doubt you will live forever!  Or at the very least survive January 2021.

Shot for The Guardian Weekend Magazine

Richard Godwin

A shoot with Richard Godwin and his exercise bike in his Garage in Bristol.  January is the month to look at self improvement and exercise.   Can’t say I have made many resolutions myself this year apart from “surviving!”.

Shot for The Observer Magazine

Mae Martin

Mae Martin wasn’t really on my radar when I got the call to shoot her. She’s a Canadian comedian who’s steadily making her way into the British comedy scene.  Brutally honest about her sexuality and her addiction to certain drugs, which are not only the subjects of many of her standup routines, but also the story of the Channel 4/Netflix sitcom “Feel Good”, which she wrote and is the protagonist in.

I found this venue in South London and loved it for all of its possibilities.  Mae was cautious to begin with as she had a set idea of how she wanted to be seen, but the location and ideas we both liked allowed for a fun shoot.

Shot for Observer Magazine

Romesh Ranganathan

I have had the pleasure of working with the brilliant Romesh Ranganathan a few times now.  Each time is better than the last.  However, getting a chance to collaborate with someone on their book is always a special treat.  It means a little more two way collaboration, and in this case a lot of fun props.  Romesh’s new book “As Good as It Gets” deals with life as a middle aged man.  So we found it fitting to place Romesh as if at the end or middle of a kids party, finding himself torn between having interests that are associated with a younger generation, yet having to balance the responsibilities of a parent and middle aged with middle class expectations. 

The shoot involved an unpredictable party popper, party hats (both for Romesh and me,) a very sweet but tasty vegan cake, tricycle, balloons, helium (in balloons and lungs) and a lot of confetti!  What more could you ask from a shoot?

Shot for Random House Publishing

Michael Spicer

Social media has been the way forward for many new comedy acts.  The traditional route of making it through standup, panel shows and then into the national spotlight is a thing of the past.  Especially now that Covid19 has shut all comedy venues and restricted panel shows and audiences.  

Michael Spicer is a comedian who has attempted to make it through standup, writing and appearing on other comedy shows briefly.  But it was only when he came up with the idea that he could pretend to be the advisor for politicians who say stupid things, that he really hit it big.  Michael’s twitter shows “Room Next Door”, started with him pretending to be the advisor for Boris Johnson, talking into an earpiece for the PM when he was talking about his hobby building busses out of crates.  It was painful moment to watch when Boris tried to manoeuvre himself through that interview.  I had seen it before and was shocked that the interview wasn’t more common knowledge.  I almost pinched myself asking if that interview was actually real or just a fragment of my imagination.  Surely - if it was real we would all be talking about it.  If Theresa May got ridiculed for her running through a corn field, then this revelation by Boris should take the first place.  It was not until Michael Spicer made fun of the interview that I finally got confirmation that it was not just me that thought the interview was too much of a comedy gold moment.   Michael’s genius angle is that he pretends to be the advisor talking into Boris’ earpiece at that exact moment. 

He has since pretended to be the advisor for Trump, Priti Patel and many others as they reveal complete incompetence during press conferences or interviews.  Michael does not only highlight the moments which we all notice but that are soon forgotten, but him highlighting the blunders allow the mistakes to get a little more time in the headlights in a world where news passes us by faster than a car in a formula 1 race.

Shot for Observer Magazine

Stephen K Amos

Stephen K Amos is part of the British comedy establishment.  He has been at the forefront of the British comedy scene for as long as I can remember, and he is still funny!  I collaborated with Stephen on this shoot to get some press and marketing images for him.  A tall guy, friendly, and packed with style, turned up at the shoot in east London. A friendly chat to start with, then we hit the streets to get some outdoor images before the rain. We moved up and down an alleyway before heading back into the studio again.  Change of clothes and backdrops before we managed to get Stephen moving like a Salsa God!  

Not many shoots you break up half way to enjoy Jerk Chicken, Rice and Peas.  (Certainly a first for our French groomer Celine who was also on the shoot) only to continue the shoot with ‘belly full’ and sticky fingers.  

Shot for Stephen K Amos

Daisy Haggard

I was first introduced to Daisy Haggard’s series ‘Back to Life’ a few days before photographing her.  The series is written by Daisy and she plays the lead; a girl who’s let out of prison and has to adjust to a life back home.  Yes - it sounds serious, but Daisy has a perfect way of bringing humour into the subject matter, yet being respectful.  Meeting Daisy, and also following her on instagram, you get the feeling that her humour is not just show, but she is naturally funny.  

I photographed Daisy just before an event she was attending for SKY.  We were in a crammed hotel room, which I managed to completely rearrange, and we talked about everything from the awkward moments at red carpet events to the comfort of a cup of tea and having small kids at home.  The shoot was nice and relaxed. If you are not familiar with Daisy’s work already then check her out.  Delightfully funny on screen and off.  Successful, yet comes across as someone who is doing her work because she likes to make people laugh, and not because she wants them to recognise her for being the talent that she is. And - she’s got the most genuine smile in the industry too.  

Shot for G2

Greg Davies and Alex Horne

Taskmaster is one of those shows that you watch, have a giggle, but secretly also wish you could be part of.  Greg Davies and Alex Horne present the show which give comedians tasks they have to complete to their best ability. Such a simple concept, yet the resolutions to the tasks set are often comedy gold.  However I would have to become a famous comedian in order to take part.  The problem with that is that I have no interest of being famous, and I am about as funny as a German parking attendant - (just ask my kids).  I guess that means I have no chance.  

I met up with Greg and Alex at Pinewood studios, just after they had wrapped up the last episode of the up and coming series.  As I will only be taking part in Taskmaster in my own mind, I secretly imagine that this job is exactly that - a task from Greg and Alex.  The task for this shoot was to show extra consideration because of the Covid threat, yet convey a message that says Taskmaster with a pinch of comedy.  The shoot was highly disinfected, and a two meter distance between us all was observed at all times.  Pictures were taken, delivered and published within the given time frame.  I now just wait for Alex’s delivering of the results and Greg’s hard judgement of the execution of the task.  Fingers crossed I get invited back for a second task.

Shot for The Guardian